1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to fire barriers and, more particularly, to a fire barrier for use in connection with a structural wall having a hole through which a thermoplastic conduit normally extends. During a fire, as the material forming the conduit melts, the barrier fills the hole in the structural wall.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
In the construction of a fire rated structural wall, if it is necessary to provide a conduit extending through the wall, it is conventional to employ only metallic materials which do not deform or melt when exposed to the range of temperatures typically experienced in a fire.
If a thermoplastic material is used as a conduit in such a construction, heat from a fire deforms or melts the thermoplastic material, allowing the fire to propagate through the wall to the region on the opposite side of the wall. The term "thermoplastic" is used here broadly to define any material which becomes or remains soft when subjected to heat such that a conduit formed of such material loses its original form during a fire and exposes the hole in the structural wall to the fire.
It would be desirable to provide a fire barrier for use in connection with thermoplastic conduits for closing off the hole in a structural wall in the event of thermal deformation of the conduit.